Not to be nit-picky, especially since I know absolutely nothing about Mr. Rinehart, but you can't really be a black belt (or ANY) belt "under" the IBJJF. You can certainly have your rank registered with, and recognized by, the IBJJF but your belt is still under your instructor. Can you tell us who gave him his black belt?

Again, not saying he might not be 100% completely legit but there do seem to be some people asking about his lineage.

11/15/2011 1:44am,

GaryJohnsonJr

You are correct. He is listed as a 2nd degree blackbelt and registered with the IBJJF. Someone can correct me if they know otherwise, but registering with the IBJJF would not be possible without being rank by a legitimate BJJ instructor. I have heard that this ranking was from Leo Dalla.

Best advice I can give is for anyone interested in his rank... ask him. Ask him to show proof. If he claims he was awarded a BJJ blackbelt by Leo Dalla or anyone else, verify this with them. Of course, you can take the IBJJF's validation that he was awarded a legit "certified" blackbelt. I do not believe the IBJJF would have registered his rank if this was not the case. The IBJJF, like any governing body, requires certain standards be met before they will register a rank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iainkelt

Not to be nit-picky, especially since I know absolutely nothing about Mr. Rinehart, but you can't really be a black belt (or ANY) belt "under" the IBJJF. You can certainly have your rank registered with, and recognized by, the IBJJF but your belt is still under your instructor. Can you tell us who gave him his black belt?

Again, not saying he might not be 100% completely legit but there do seem to be some people asking about his lineage.

11/15/2011 2:04am,

It is Fake

Your comment about any governing body is kind of funny here at bullshido. We have multiple cases of mistakes and outright fraud being perpetrated against and with various respected governing bodies.

All I'll say is the guy has competed and won. If there is a question, I agree go ask the man. No. I no longer hold any governing body above reproach.

4/14/2012 12:02am,

StevenK667

Black Belt for Sure

His original black belt was validated by Leo Dalla, an amazing teacher and practitioner of BJJ. He competed and placed second at the NY Open last year, losing by advantage to Paul Schreiner of Marcelo Garcia's NY Academy. He also was so good at NAGA events that he earned a SuperFight against Pablo Popovitch.
I studied under him from 1998 to 2003. He is incredible and represents everything right with martial arts. He is an incredible teacher and practitioner of jiu-jitsu. Plus, his self-defense is founded in years of full contact, real life situations. He is amazing.

4/14/2012 11:16am,

DanofEarth

I find it really odd that random 1 posters jumped in to say he "doesn't claim to be a BJJ black belt" but then others hoped in with 1 post to say "He is black belted under Leo Dalla".

Has anyone emailed him?

5/10/2013 7:42pm,

elkarlo

Since no one with any length nor posts came in to defend Luke, I will. I went to his school last week and tried it out. He is a good coach, and has a solid school. His students are no joke. I don't fully understand how he was accredited his BB, but his skills are legit.
He runs a fine program, and despite his lineage being a bit odd, he is def a BJJ BB

6/08/2013 10:18pm,

hittinhard86

I trained out there for a few months when I was on the East Coast for business. Great staff and great facility although the training is somewhat limited.

What is this, like the 11th thread you've spammed this bullshit into? Read the stickes (the ones with 'READ ME!' In the title), they will tell you what you can and can't do in each forum.

Wanna rep your school? Go introduce yourself in Newbietown and write a review. Stop spamming this crap or you'll get locked all alone in a dimly lit room with Holy Moment.

3/11/2014 8:48pm,

J.Mad

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanofEarth

I find it really odd that random 1 posters jumped in to say he "doesn't claim to be a BJJ black belt" but then others hoped in with 1 post to say "He is black belted under Leo Dalla".

I know this is an old thread but this discussion pops up in the first page of Google results when searching "Clinch Academy", so it's good to have clear information out there.

Yes, in 2010 I posted that.. because at that time it was true. But things have changed in recent years. In October of 2011, Luke Rinehart became a certified 2nd Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

He's a great teacher with a great school. Anyone in the area should come by and check us out!